Red Sox must not be loving early returns from SF Giants after Rafael Devers trade

The SF Giants pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox last month to bring in slugger Rafael Devers. Thus far, the early returns have not been great for either side but especially for what Boston got in return.

The Giants gave up left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison, right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks, outfielder James Tibbs III, and pitcher Jose Bello in exchange for Devers. The Red Sox cannot love what they have seen thus far from that haul.

Red Sox cannot be loving early return from SF Giants for Rafael Devers trade

The centerpiece of the trade for Boston was Harrison. Once the top pitching prospect in San Francisco's organization, he certainly seems to have the highest upside of any of the players Boston received in the deal.

Harrison got his fastball velocity back earlier this year, but his performance in Triple-A with Boston has not been stellar. He debuted with Triple-A Worcester a few weeks ago and has a 5.94 ERA in four starts and 16 and 2/3 innings pitched.

The San Jose native has given up five home runs across that span so he is struggling. Yet, his most recent start was his best one as he allowed no earned runs in 3 and 2/3 innings pitched.

It is obviously still early, but Boston must have been hoping for a better first impression from a guy they are hoping can develop into a reliable rotation arm for them.

Jordan Hicks began this season as a starter for San Francisco, but he struggled mightily and was demoted to the bullpen. He has had success in his career as a hard-throwing late-inning reliever, but his numbers thus far with Boston have not been great.

In 3 and 2/3 innings he has a 4.91 ERA. He is still making $11 million per season which is a lot for a reliever in an ill-defined role so Boston may look to move off him at some point.

James Tibbs III was San Francisco's first-round draft pick in 2024 and got off to a hot start in Eugene but cooled off. Now he is in Double-A Portland and has not done too much, slashing .244/.341/.333 with one home run and five runs batted in across 20 games.

Finally, Jose Bello has a 3.86 ERA in four games with Boston's Rookie Ball team. He is only 20 years old though so he has plenty of time to develop.

Of course, Rafael Devers has not gotten off to the best start with the Giants. This has led some to declare that the Red Sox won the trade since they have outperformed the Giants since the trade, but that is a very shortsighted view.

The true winner and loser of this trade will not be determined for years. Overreacting to Devers' slow start is just as silly as saying Kyle Harrison is a complete bust based on his rough few outings with Boston's Triple-A affiliate.

We have a lot of time to figure out how this deal turned out for both sides, but Boston certainly would have loved some better results early on from the players they acquired and the same can be said for the Giants.

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